A Landsborough family suffered a brief scare last week when their pet magpie, Swanny Magoo, did not return home for dinner.
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Lisa Davis and her partner, Adam Leslie, with her children Ben Davis, Sam and Josh found the injured baby magpie on the side of the road and nursed it back to health.
“We found her in October 2015 on AFL Grand Final day and she was squashed on the side of the road with blood coming out of her,” Ms Davis said.
“She was only a baby, she had a broken wing and leg.
”We brought her home in a box and fixed her wing and leg, since then she has decided that I am her mum.”
Swanny Magoo has a place at the family’s dinner table, it goes for car and quad bike rides, sips beer at the town’s pub, goes for a dip at the swimming pools and plays fetch.
But the family was without Swanny Magoo’s company last week after it failed to come home for six days.
It was found on Thursday at a fruit and vegetable stall.
“We think she may have jumped out of the ute when it stopped near Farm Supplies on the Highway in Stawell, she always hitches a ride with us,” Ms Davis said.
“People around town sent us a list of the places she had been spotted, she had been at the swimming pools, at the primary school, down at the park.”
Ms Davis said Swanny Magoo was a major part of the family.
“The dogs and cats have accepted her, she says ‘mum’ and ‘hello’ and wolf whistles, she plays chasey with us and the dogs and I have not ever really taught her to do stuff, she is just her own little bird and she does amazing things.”
Ms Davis said she never expected a bird to be this friendly with people.
“I have always liked magpies, they have a beautiful song, but I never thought any bird could be like this,” she said.
I have always liked magpies, they have a beautiful song, but I never thought any bird could be like this.
- Lisa Davis
The magpie was named after former Collingwood Football Club player Dane Swan and had its own Facebook page, Swanny Magoo and Friends.
“This hilarious little bird has a huge personality that must be shared,” Ms Davis said
Now the friendly magpie was back on the Landsborough farm, sitting at the dinner table, awaiting its favourite meal of grated cheese.